Software Requirements: Is This the Magic Bullet?
Larry Leveille-President, PacInfo Technologies, Inc.
(SAE Technical Paper Series 2000-01-0710) © 2000 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
Abstract:
The accelerating cost of developing the electronic content of the typical vehicle is in part due to the cost of software development for these electronic modules. Software development costs for many projects are difficult to predict accurately, and even more difficult to control.

A number of software development methodologies have been published and are followed with mixed success. All place great significance on the generation and management of the requirements for the software.

This paper provides a basic definition of what proper requirements should be, discusses the importance of proper requirements in software development, and compares several approaches to the generation and the management of requirements. Finally, the paper suggests an approach to managing ever-changing 'real world' requirements.

Metrics in Software Development
Larry Leveille-President, PacInfo Technologies, Inc.
(SAE Technical Paper Series 2001-01-0015) © 2001 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
Abstract:
Software development is at best a difficult to manage process. Development progress is often hard to measure. In part this is due to the 'soft' nature of the task, with inadequate measurements, continual changes in definition, and an inconsistent measurement methodology all playing a part.

Metrics provide a basis for measuring meaningful progress (or the lack of it) on a project. The impact of requirement changes can be tracked and reported, and the use of a set of metrics over several

projects gives consistency to the measurement and reporting process.

This paper presents the need for metrics in software development. Several possible metrics are discussed, including their applicability to specific uses. Additionally, 'real-world' cases illustrating the use of metrics are presented. Specifically, the use of metrics in the software estimating process is addressed.

The Embedded Cake: A Layers Model of Embedded Systems
Larry Leveille-President, PacInfo Technologies, Inc.
Patricia M. Gary, V.P. Marketing
James Brown, Engineer
(SAE Technical Paper Series 2002-01-0872) © 2002 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
Abstract:
Embedded systems cover a wide variety of devices and applications. Seemingly, each embedded system is different from other embedded systems. After all, the system controlling a microwave oven has virtually nothing in common with the system in a calculator, an airplane flight controller, or a car's engine controller.

However, is there a way to look at embedded systems from a generic viewpoint? Put another way, are there parts of all embedded systems that are common whatever the purpose or function of the individual devices? What exactly do the microwave oven controller and a vehicle's engine controller have in common?

The design of a "layers-type" model representing embedded systems development arose from asking just such questions. Starting with the background of the OSI Network Model, where all functions of network communications fit within one of seven layers, we began to ask if a similar structure could serve to describe embedded systems.

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